Gintarou is a fox spirit that has been protecting the small Inari temple since the Edo era. Saeki Makoto's family possesses the power to see the gods' agent, but the ability is limited to one living relative at a time. When Makoto's mother passed away while she was still young, Makoto inherited the ability as the sole remaining family member. With the help of fox spirit's power, Makoto and Gintarou help the people of their community, in spite of their many differences.
(Source: MangaHelpers, edited)
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Stark700
Stories with spirits and humans from literature are always a fascinating tale. The concept of blending between the lines of fiction and reality can be an intellectual story to tell. Often times, fantasy literature brings elements of suspense, horror, and power struggles into stories involving clashes between spirits and humans. However, stories can sometimes be just simple and straightforward. Take Gingitsune for example. It’s a series that defines itself as a fantasy slice of life that is simplistic but yet charming, sensible, and alluring. Gingitsune is an anime series based off of the manga of the same name written by Sayori Ochiai. The setting takes placein the modern ages but fuses it with traditional Japanese themes to transform it into a product of elegance. In such an age is a young child named Makoto Saeki, the only child and daughter of a widowed shrine priest in an Inari Shinto Shrine. She may seem ordinary but Makoto possesses a very special gift – the ability to see heralds. As a well-known phrase goes, “with great power comes great responsibility”, Sekai now plays the role of a girl that can change people’s lives. She’s not alone either because Gintaro, an anthropomorphic fox whom Sekai can only see, becomes her partner and guardian of the shrines.
As what it is, Gingitsune isn’t a horror story or vengeance with anguish spirits out to get back at humans. Rather, it’s a simple slice of life fantasy story that conveys the life of Makoto Saeki. More importantly is also the significance of character relationships. This is especially true earlier on as we get to witness how Makoto interacts with others, in particular Gintaro. The duo often works together because of Makoto’s circumstances of being unable to accurately tell fortunes. This is a problem as most Sekai priestesses are proficient in the art of fortune telling. Luckily, Gintaro serves as her helping hand as the duo are able to serve their roles with Makoto bringing many hopes and promises. As promising as the series goes, the story seems to be a bit slow at first. Most episodes focuses on specific events that can be simple as solving a problem to more complex issues dealing with human relationships. This is where Makoto comes in as her ways of thinking is beneficial with human knowledge. On the other hand, Gintaro comes into play whenever there is a supernatural problem that becomes more than what Makoto can handle on her own.
Because the series isn’t focused exclusively on an ongoing story or arcs, there can be some issues with pacing. It sometimes may feel slow further evidenced by its serene atmosphere. The way it presents the series is simple but yet offers a concept that can be captivating. Most of this is captured by character interactions. Makoto and Gintaro is an odd duo to get to know just by simple observation. Gintaro often finds Makoto as a nuisance and is indifferent about human affairs. However, there are various times when he truly cares for Makoto’s well-being and offers her useful advice. Makoto can be a bit argumentative with Gintaro’s actions or ways of thinking. Yet because a human and spirit relationship can be complex, the duo can work out problems collectively to protect and help the helpless.
As the series goes on, there are also other characters’ relationships and backgrounds revealed. This includes another prominent successor of the shrine, Satoru Kamio. The young man can be considered a prodigy especially in the arts of kendo. But unlike Makoto, he didn’t grow up in a very well treated environment. In fact, his childhood had people mistreat him and causes the young man to be isolated as who he is today. His closest friend and fox herald is an 80-year old being named Haru. Unlike Makoto and Gintaro, the relationship between Satoru and Haru can be quite one sided at first. Haru often cares for the well-being of Satoru, so much that it borders on obsession. (Typically involves members of the opposite sex) Unfortunately, Satoru seems to rarely respond in a way that can be deemed as appreciation which because of his stoic personality. It is not until later though where their relationship is more emphasized and viewers will get to see how much they develop. Relationships are also further explored in a realistic manner especially involving parents. We get to see how children respects their elders and holding responsibility of their future. They represent the future generations as comparisons are made throughout the series of how the new generation are similar to their ancestors.
A fantasy modern slice of life is not complete with its heralds. Throughout the show, other characters of supernatural nature shows up including dog-like heralds, turtles, or playful monkeys. There is a sense of comedy representing some of these characters that contrasts the usual vengeful spirits greatly. In essence, they also represents human characteristics such as Haru’s jealousy, the turtles’ humbleness, or the monkeys’ playfulness that of a child. It’s fun to see it from a more human perspective and how they compare as if they were one of us.
Comedy wise, the series is lighthearted and avoids crude or shock value. There’s virtually no fan service as it avoids the typical beach/onsen episode. Instead, it relies on natural humor with some sarcasm and gags such as Gintaro’s love of oranges. Also surprisingly enough, there is minimal romance that is often played out as a causal sense. Otherwise, most relationships are based on events from the past such as Makoto’s introduction to the series is when she was a young child. She witnessed the first sight of Gintaro that changed her life forever. With clever usage of flashbacks, it’s also easy to feel what the experiences the characters have gone through. It can create mixed responses but surprisingly can be pragmatic. Furthermore, some of these stories sends a message with a tag of morality labeled. Unfortunately for action junkies, there isn’t much intensity or rivalries going on throughout the series. It takes on the more slice of life approach rather than the typical ‘save the world’ trope. As a simple fantasy life story, this is what it should be.
Artwork wise, Gingitsune is easy to see visually. Human characters are designed to look human while heralds are colored with fantasy tones. The shrines are designed as being simple, realistic, and natural. There’s a sense of mystical atmosphere that the shrines also brings out that can make viewers wonder what goes on behind its history. It’s not a magic story but creates that atmosphere of innocence such as Makoto and Haru. The studio Diomedea is involved with the project that has a history involved with supernatural stories such as Nanatsuiro Drops, Squid Girl, and Sola. Here, they do their job with consistency to bring this fictional story to life.
Soundtrack is moderate with only some outstanding features. The OST generally remains the same with its serene tones. The OP song, "tiny lamp" by fhána works well but lacks any catchy moments that captures the essence of the series. There’s also hardly any notable characteristics regarding its ED song. But if we were to discuss voice acting, then Gintaoru’s VA should definitely be one to mention. Shinichiro Miki plays the role of Gintaoru with his talent that represents why he is a prominent voice actor in the seiyu industry. The way his character speaks out often comes with a sophisticated tone that combines elements of sarcasm, pride, and maturity.
I’ll admit, this show is not the type of anime for everyone. If you’re looking forward to a complex action fantasy with plot twists and struggles, then GIngitsune is the wrong show for you. Instead, this show fits more of a fantasy slice of life with dynamic character building based on relationships, past lives, and construction of friendships. Although it lacks a complex love polygon, the parental love that the characters presents is very realistic. The elements of fantasy and realism fused creates a line that blurs together creating a charming story. As relaxing the series can be, there are times when it feels slow paced or simply put…boring. But if we look carefully, it’s easy to tell that Gingitsune is nothing about saving the world or exorcising evil spirits. Not every fantasy story has to be about defeating evil. Gingitsune is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
post_human
This is why I like animes, after getting thoroughly disappointed by watching something with excellent animation and music fall way beyond mediocrity due to lack of originality, unnecessary fan-service and a crappy sense of humor; getting angry at yet another butchering of a video game adaption into a utterly stinking pile misdirection and lack of effort; and laughing at a purely unrealistic and shameless attempt at seinen through yet again short skirt wearing superhuman schoolgirls, I get to experience a show like Gingitsune. This anime is not trying to achieve any new grounds and actually does not attempt at anything other than simplistic beauty, triesto teach us some values with so refined subtlety and courageously realistic presentation of the relationships that we observe and gain just by leading our everyday life.
Among other things Gingitsune is the story of the daughter of a priest, Makoto Saeki who lives in a Inari shrine with his father, from early childhood she has the power of the sight as she can see gods' heralds, which in her shrines case is the lazy and obnoxious fox spirit Gintaro. Early on the story mainly focuses on how with the help of somewhat reluctant Gintaro, Makoto helps the people around her. Through her unique relation and ability she gain new friends and even meets other heralds. At a first glance and after the first few episodes it might seem a bit too simplistic slice of life with such a slow pace and an all together happy-feelings kind of a show. But soon it delves into much serious ground with the introduction of the character Satoru who like Saeki has the power of the sight, but very unlike Makoto had a troubled childhood and due to circumstances had to live his shrine forever. He comes to live with the little family in Makoto's shrine and we get a little look at his tragic past with the early lose of both of his parents and how his troubled childhood made him a total introvert and socially awkward individual who's only attempt at happiness is through Kendo and the relatively young fox spirit Haru.
As the story progresses through quite a slow pace we get to learn some nice life lessons as well as get to experience quite a varied array of different emotions sometimes even through the eyes of many of the side characters which was quite unique, these nice change of viewpoints felt very natural. There were even a few of episodes where the focus is completely withdrawn from some of the main characters to let viewers fully appreciate the emotions and turmoils of other characters. The writers viewpoint on romance and modernized relationships along side traditional influences were quite refreshing, as he tries to portray relationships in a more realistic way. The involvement of the characters with each other through their daily life, the slow progression of their attitudes and views on others were really done with vivid imagination. This is how real world works mostly (not like the fast to fall in love and fast to get together world of the animes and mangas). There are all kinds of romances; the subtle yet slow development of feelings, the unrequited emotions of someone falling for a guy/girl with a big age difference; even the amazing feeling of love at first site; everything was done quite naturally and with a lot of skills.
Another important aspect for me was the clear line of demarcation that was put between the world of heralds and humans. Heralds with their long years of life are so much more different in their views of the ways of the worlds, the beautiful imagining of their emergence into the supernatural world through flashbacks were quite nicely done to.
Overall the so simple, minimalistic yet beautifully imagined story, even without no real on going plot-line or even distinct beginning or end was one of the best aspects of the show. It gets 9 out of 10 from me.
As expected characters are the real highlights and driving force of this elegant tale. Makoto is a naive yet energetic girl, who gets into lots of fights with Gintaro yet somehow always makes up with him as he is kind of family member to her; although she tries to use the power of the herald sometimes for her benefit yet at the end of the day learns the real importance of using the power for others. Through her growing up in this beautiful shrine with her loving father and Gintaro she slowly understands various aspects of being special. As she gains friendship of other people in her school and her interaction with the people visiting the shrine she tries to always do what is best for the people around her at the end of the day in her own particular way. Ginataro on the other hand may act very arrogant and annoyed at Makoto but deep down really adores the girl. By living for thousands of years he had learned many things about the fragility of human life and the freedom of simple belief. Her lectures to Makoto and others not only gives us funny moments but sometimes even gives quite a few good life lessons.
Satoru is perfect example of someone brought up with the cruelty of this modern world. Through losing his parents in early childhood and then his grandfather after that, he learned the sadness of reality very young. By the neglect and prosecution of his aunt's family he has grown into an introvert, a socially awkward young man who thinks he has to do everything by himself. Through his journey to the new shrine and school we as viewers get to experience the joy of being accepted and even loved, the joy of getting new friends and over all the joy of learning to live for your own-self again. Haru is a real cute character who seems kind of one dimensional at first with her short-temperament, being too proud and obsessive affection for Satoru. But through her beautifully told back-story we get to learn her tragic entry into the world of heralds as well as the special and unique bond that she shares with Satoru. There was some really emotional and memorable scenes in her past indeed.
The other characters were also very deeply detailed in respect to such a short series. Makoto's two friends, the carefree and adventurous Yumi and the gentle and intelligent Funabashi; the other heralds and even some people in the lives of the side characters (like Yumi's boyfriend, Funabashi's fathers assistance/driver, Satoru's kendo team members etc) gets their story told in somewhat short yet delicately careful details.
The characters are quite well imagined and does the show justice, so gets 9 out of 10.
The animation gives us nicely detailed scenery in and around Saekis' small shrine and also other beautiful landscapes are thrown to give the atmosphere that much of a push towards a mixture realism and supernatural. The subtle color and stylistic changes that was introduced when we were getting flashbacks along with the beautiful music was really something that added to the total experience.
The realism even persisted with the character designs as the writer avoided including unnaturally good looking and well endowed designs and used simple yet appropriate imagining. This was a really welcomed change after the plethora of too good looking or too cool looking characters that are now-a-days overflowing the anime scene in general. I, myself really enjoyed the animation although it felt a bit aged to be honest while comparing it with some of the works we are seeing these days. While it does not actually hold anything back from the experience it was indeed something that should have been looked upon. the art/animation gets 8 out of 10.
The soundtrack/music isn't anything special in spite of use of nice in-show music specially in the flashback scenes. The total in-show music as a whole does something in adding to the overall enjoyment as giving new dimensions to the experience but some of the tunes were a bit over used to be honest. On the other hand while being quite appropriate the OP and ED didn't really do anything for me as I mostly skipped them after a few listens.
The real achievement in this regard for Gingitsune is the excellent voice acting. The voice actors really did put in their best efforts and really gave the emotions that much more vigor and realism through their works. Special mention should be given to the voice actors of Gintaro and Satoru as their efforts really caught attention and made it that much more easy for us viewers to relate with them and appreciate their dilemmas. The music/soundtrack gets a score of 8.5 out of 10 from me.
Despite all of its strong point this show is not something for everyone. This is a show for people who enjoys the simplicity of life, the joy of living each day and the greatness of having people around you who care about you. For me the slow pace of the story with its unique blend of realism with supernatural; the portrayal of various aspects of relationships, friendship and love and the overall simplistic nature of the messages given like the life lessons that we get to learn everyday just by being alive was a very enjoyable experience.
I will recommend this to any lovers of slice of life and seinen out there. Believe me, although it may not seem so now, you will really enjoy this if you just give this a try.
Overall Score -
8.5 out of 10.
aNinjaWithAIDS
Gingitsune is one of those shows that feels "alive" in every respect. There's honestly no better way to describe it. From its general beauty to its inner world of provocatively enriching emotions, this show always has something to mesmerize you with. Story: Keep in mind that this is a Slice of Life show, so the thing is that this is a story much more than it is an underlying plot. This is far from a bad thing; in all honesty, I find this show to be a very refreshing take on the Fantasy genre. For example, the rule that makes only one bloodline member possess "theSight" was extraordinarily different and well played in that it manages to maintain this show's reality close to our own. Think about it, and I'll use Naruto for a reference here: any family with a bloodline ability is practically a super ninja (which is more than half the main cast), so that begs the question: "What is normal supposed to be?" Gingitsune never had to beg that question. What I also enjoyed about the story was how the shrines themselves feel like characters in their own right, though more on that in the character section.
Another thing in this show's favor is the characters' back-stories were very heartfelt and real. Sure, Makoto may have always had the Sight as far as she can remember, but if I was to ask her "Was it worth losing your mother?", what do you think her response would be? See what I mean? There may be a pacing block or two and the beginning may be a bit rough, but this was a very easy show to marathon and empathize with. 9/10
Art: Simply AMAZING! Many people immediately take for granted the gorgeous blue sky, brightly starry nights, the detail in the trees, the variable mix of color; but this show packs an extra punch in this department, something that's often not accounted for: The visual variety in scenic architecture. Modernity and tradition CAN work together to create a harmonious masterpiece that becomes a truly living, breathing world. This creates a kind of immersion that is an unforgettable experience for viewers to explore and to craft a journey that feels like a heavenly ascension.
The characters' expressions were kept in realistic proportions which is good because after years of watching anime, I felt tired of seeing over-exaggerated feelings all the time and this again reinforces the down to earth aspect the show has. The humans' designs were smoothly done, while the heralds' appearances were appropriately extravagant, mystical, and enchanting which is a constant, yet pleasing reminder that this IS a Fantasy. The animation itself was plain and simple, yet fluid for the most part, but the show obviously had no need to go all out here. The CG was thankfully minimalistic and never really interfered with the gorgeous scenery since it was reserved mostly for cars. 8/10
Sound: The voice acting was immaculately done. Each voice suited its respective character well in body, personality, and emotion. Nothing much to say there, but what really makes this category stand out is the music! This is one of the liveliest Slice of Life soundtracks I have ever listened to. This is what allows the show to feel like the adventure that it is and absorbs us into its world. The instrumentation is primarily a traditional Japanese orchestra with catchy and revitalizing modern compositions that respect the olden times and culture in a very pleasing way that rivals Disney's classical scores sometimes. This is where I believe the show's heart is, and I want that heart to beat through my speakers for a long time to come. 9/10
Characters: I absolutely adore the variety and cohesion of these characters! From the main pair Makoto and Gintaro, to her friends, to the other heralds themselves; they all have various quirks that make them enjoyable to some extent save for one for the most part, Satoru. He's not a bad character by any means, but it does take a while for him to be fleshed out instead of being a walking statue with hurt feelings. These characters learn and grow together in a way that's very similar to the way we do in real life, especially the relationship between Hiwako and Yumi. There are other characters that people may have a problem with for example...Haru.
Now, Haru might be another stereotypical tsundere character; however, she is not a tsundere not just for the sake of having a tsundere in the cast, which is rare these days. She is given actual depth into why she acts the way she does, her tsun and dere sides get equal shares of the spotlight, both sides are given a reason to exist, and both are played realistically given her age (she acts 10 because that's about how old she would be in human years). Do not automatically assume a tsundere to be a bad character; she just needs to be written more carefully than most, which this show thankfully took into account.
I mentioned before that the shrines were their own characters, and I'll explain why here: they offer life to the setting just as much as the living beings do. Writing the shrines out would have completely killed the show's amazingly unusual atmosphere. They are the symbolism behind the settings inner workings. They are the heralds' perfect compliment in design, grace, and personality. They are the very soul and essence of the show. 9/10 for characters.
Enjoyment: This is THE Slice of Life show any fan of the genre should marathon! 10/10
Overall: 9/10. The merit and variety this show has is astounding! This is a true adventure into art, life, and ourselves and what we can see, imagine, and inspire in others.
MothaMoon
To be perfectly honest, I thought at first that this anime would be headed into a great plot development, seeing the whole fox-spirit and shrine maiden theme, until I actually watched through the entire thing. I've seen a lot of people hype about this anime when it was clearly nothing special. Maybe it's just me, but I tend to dislike the whole slice-of-life type of anime. Gingitsune isn't that bad, but clearly nothing special. If you're looking for an anime that's completely calm and if you like the slice-of-life genre then it's worth checking out I suppose. Story: 4/10 Call me strict, but there was nearlyzero plot in this anime. From episde 1, up to the final episode, I was still trying to figure out what the plot for this anime was supposed to be. I get it, it's just your typical cultural, slice-of-life anime, but of course you can't keep watching an anime series if there is no interest in the plot and in my opinion, the plot is what matters most. The story didn't start getting interesting until Satoru and Haru joined in, but it started losing it's interest around the last episodes again.
Art: 6/10
The animation was not too bad, but again nothing special, I've seen better. What I liked about it is that the colors were always appealing to the eye and the animation was nice and simple, but nothing that impressive. There weren't any great effects either, but I find that the best part about the artwork in this anime were the backgrounds. Very well done and good job to the concept artists.
Sound: 6/10
Again, the soundtrack was nothing special. I like how they kept the music simple, since it fits in this anime, but then again it didn't have any themes that impressed me and it's not a soundtrack that I'll go back and listen to it. The opening was decent, the ending song was pretty nice though.
Character: 5/10
Another major problem about this anime was absolutely no character development. And when I say absolutely no character development, I mean it. It seemed like they were going to develop Satoru a bit, but they just kinda dumped him after some time. The only character that seemed to have some slight development was Haru. I wanted to learn more about Gintaro though and actually see Makoto, since she's the main character, progress a bit, but it just seemed that she kept getting worse with each episode.
Enjoyment: 5/10
The fact that I was half-watching each episode, especially the ones that Satoru and Haru were not in, probably shows that I didn't really enjoy this anime. There wasn't really something to enjoy after a certain point and the fact that the characters were either unninteresting or that the anime itself wouldn't develop them was a huge turn off for me. There were many things they never finished explaining and of course, they did have time to do that, if only they didn't waste time on matters that the viewers wouldn't care about. Then again, that's what most slice-of-life anime do.
Overall 5.2/10
Don't get me wrong, I might be strict with my ratings, but I only rate anime in this way because there are others who deserve a much better rating. Gingitsune wasn't one of those, for me at least. Don't go assuming that I'm rating it so low because I hate slice-of-life anime, I've watched some others too and they were more interesting than this one, but I've also seen worse too. Again it's probably one of my least favorite genres so if you want, you don't have to listen to my opinion, although I tried keeping it as unbiased as possible. For me, this anime could have been more interesting than the average slice-of-life since it also had the fantasy type to it.
Markezzo
Gingitsune caught me at a good time, offering a bit of heartfelt drama and a relaxing atmosphere to take it all in with. Looking at the premise I almost skipped over this series entirely, mainly due to my personal bias against slice-of-life and how I usually see them as snore-fests where nothing really happens. In the end I gave the first episode a chance and my expectations were quickly surpassed. What exactly caught me off guard? It would be the fact that the script and characters brought genuine life to the story, both subtle and meaningful. I’ve grown used to slice-of-life having little to no story,and themes that ultimately are delivered in such a limp-wristed way that you can’t care about it. Already in the first episode, Gingitsune accomplishes to remind me of how drama can teach us things about real questions we face in everyday-life. At its best points, the series focuses on problems ranging from isolation and bullying, to more philosophical matters such as what gives apologies their meaning.
The animation fulfills its purpose and always manages to stay at an above average to great level, showing that plenty of love went into the making of the series. The design and direction manages to be colorful yet never abundantly so to the point where it sticks out, giving it a more neutral tone that feels more grounded in reality, disregarding the presence of fox-spirits and other deities of course.
The use of the soundtrack helps in creating a tranquil environment for the series, with its use of flutes and string-instruments at the forefront, emphasizing the feeling of being at a mysterious shrine that contains more than meets the eye. It is also a perfect fit for the bits of Japanese culture and Shinto religion that is shown. The one thing that could have been improved sound-wise would be some of the voice-acting, as certain voices didn’t fit the characters’ ages, and in the case of the spirits there are some who get very loud and annoying at times.
As for the down-sides of the series, there are a few annoyances and at least one greater flaw. The biggest con among the pros of Gingitsune is that it‘s short and incomplete. Normally when a series’ main flaw is that it leaves you wanting more, that is a compliment. At the time this review is written however, there seemingly is no available manga to continue the story with, leaving the viewer with some loose threads hanging at the end of episode twelve.
Ultimately, Gingitsune captures its audience with a lovable cast and skillful writing that makes you care for the simple things in life. With a relaxed yet mature tone that doesn’t talk down to its audience, Gingitsune includes a lot of heart into its characters and script, ultimately ending up a short but sweet experience.
Storm-sama
I finally decided to write a review, yay xD Hopefully somebody will read this incoming rant :P Gingitsune revolves around a girl Makoto, who can see gods' messengers and a bunch of people around her, mainly her father, friends from school and Gintaro, the fox spirit that resides in the shrine where she and her father live. With Gintaro's power to see glimpses of the future and find lost things, Makoto tries to help anyone from their little community who comes to the shrine. Around the middle of the series, a boy named Satoru comes to live at Makoto's shrine. He can also see themessengers and has one attached to him as well, Haru. She is also a fox spirit, but a younger one than Gintaro so she is much smaller compared to him and has a childish personality.
The pace story is really slow. It's an episodic anime with no central story. It's just about every day lives, and the relationship between Makoto and her friends, with a little bit of supernatural. If you are looking an anime before bed, that's not hard to understand and relaxing, this is the right choice for you.
There's nothing much to say about the art; is't pretty decent, somewhat similar to Kotoura-san plus the big white anthropomorphic fox. There are no fantastic nature background images, no detailed outlines nor anything spectacular. I think that flashy art was not needed in this kind of anime anyway, you just watch it to relax, not to see something complicated and out of the ordinary.
There's nothing memorable about the sound, OP and ED songs are also pretty quiet and in accordance to the overall mood of the series. The seiyuus did a good job, nothing out of the ordinary. I personally find Haru's voice a little annoying but that's just a personal opinion. High pitched voices are just too much for me.
The characters are pretty likable and all of them have their own unique personalities. There are lot of hints for a potential romantic relations between a lot of characters, but there was just not enough time to develop anything. It's like the series is just a prologue to something more awesome and engaging. Many dialogs and moments are funny, too, especially between Haru and Gintaro. Satoru's background story brings some drama into the picture too, so I think this series has a lot to offer.
Gingitsune is not a story for the masses, it doesn't have flashy fight scenes, witty dialog or any kind of mystery. All the cards are on the table from the start (except the explanation of how Gintaro got to be the herald of that shrine,which is not essential to anything ), there are no surprises. Still, I found this series really likable and was looking forward to every new episode. I just wanted my 20 minutes of relaxation every week, because that's what this series was for me. Also, Satoru's background story really got me hooked on it and I generally liked him the most. His socially awkward moments were the best, always getting me to giggle and smile.
I would recommend this to fans of Natsume Yuujinchou, because the series has somewhat the same feeling. And also for all fans of Japan in general, because you can also find out about their culture through this, mainly the purification ceremony and some interesting customs.
m_alhafidz
Reviewing after rewatching after a decade since its first airing. This show is heartwarming, simple and wholesome. Story revolves around Inari shrine, Makoto Saeki, the teenage girl, as the protagonist, doing her daily life mostly with Gintarou, herald, fox-like creature. Yes, she can see spirits since she was kid. The one that makes this show differs from other slice of life is they treated the minor characters so well. Even if it's not deep. Also don't forget the character development. As the story goes, the new herald appears and one human character as a main supporting character or should I say closest comrade. This showhas slow pacing so you need extra patient to see the character development and further events. But a bit portion of comedy kinda works to maintaining the audience due to the pacing. Not to mention the visual is great as well. The studio is doing good job on this too. Just calm, calm and calm what I got while watching this show. There is romance too in this show but it's subtle, tho. The OP and ED are also good especially the OP sung by famous Japanese musician. We also get the education of shrine life, ritual at shrine, temple, etc.
EmpathMeetsAnime
I enjoy slice of life anime and elements of the supernatural, and Gingitsune delivered on both aspects. My favorite part of this show, and why I gave it a 10, is the relationships. The bonds between the characters were meaningful and authentic. There were scenes that made me cry they were so heart warming. It did a great job of showing what truly matters in life. I also enjoyed learning about shrine ceremonies. The artwork, especially the scene with the rainbow, was beautiful. The series made me feel warm, happy, and uplifted. Very relaxing show. Ifyou're stressed from work, school, life, and looking for a reprieve, this is a show to watch.
Mkeiiso
This is my second or third time rewatching. It's a very wholesome and pleasant anime. The montage of the scenery is beautiful, really makes me want to go out and appreciate the world. The characters each have some development that makes them endearing. I actually found haru-chan to be quite bratty in the beginning but she began to grow on me, and i'm sure if the anime were longer, we would be able to see her growth. The relationship between gin and makoto is very special and it was heartwarming to see it. I wish there were a second season that went into depth about kinjirouand other heralds, satoru and his family, and just to see where everyone ended up in a few years. But overall, the ending was pretty satisfactory. It kinda gave me the same vibes as the anime hanasaku iroha, which I also enjoyed quite a bit.
Monchimon
Just finished this anime, and I need to say, it is not the most brilliant, outstanding anime of my list, but it is not a bad one neither. There's no more plot than Makoto's (the MC) life, told through small stories every chapter (it has that style of mini-stories every chapter, without any important subplot). The anime starts pretty "loose". The first chapter is kinda "you don't know these characters, but we are going to put emotional scenes, but you are not going to bat an eyelash with them" type (because, duh, you haven't developed any emotional connection with anyone). The second and the third chapterare building the base for the rest of the chapters (in terms of characters), so they are quite slow too. The thing doesn't get more interesting until chapter 4, with the appearance of Tatsuo and Haru, but since that point, there are more visible character development, which makes Gingitsune more interesting.
The characters aren't the most charismatic ones neither, but you end up liking them. They are quite normal, but very cute. I have the same thoughts from the art and the music: good but not the best you would hear.
Overall, the series is good to see for a break time after lunch, maybe with family or alone with some snacks. It is a cozy, slice of life anime, short and quite enjoyable. Not for people who look for something with a faster-paced plot, complex fantasy anime.
GustavoMuns
𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐈𝐍 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐄 (𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐋); 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: https://anilist.co/review/25188 » 𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛: The narrative of "𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦" begins by introducing us to Makoto Saeki and Tatsuo Saeki (her father), who live in an Inari Shrine. The young Makoto has received a special gift that allows her to see and interact with spirits, known as heralds. This gift is passed down from generation to generation, and the last person to possess it was her mother. In the Inari Shrine, there is a fox herald named Gintaro, a large, white, and very lazy fox who seems to be a big fan of tangerines! Gintaro can only be seen by other heraldsand by humans who have this gift. Thus, Makoto's father cannot see him, as he was not "blessed" with this ability. The heralds act as emissaries of the Inari Shrine, being able to predict the future and locate lost things, assisting in solving problems.
In the first episodes, we are introduced to the peculiarities of friendships, such as the attempt to bond between Makoto and Gintaro. But since she is very young, she still has a lot to learn and master with his help. Later, Makoto makes new friends, who end up experiencing a small problem, but soon they reconcile and become great friends.
The second half focuses more on the new resident and now friend of Makoto, Satoru, and his herald Haru. In this second half, we also witness the consolidation of the bond between Makoto and Gintaro, where despite being rude to her, he still has feelings and, thinking that Makoto might die before him, feels the need to instruct her and learn from his mediator. In the world of heralds, they live for a long time and witness the birth and death of their mediators over the ages, powerless before this continuous cycle.
As the story progresses, we follow the slow change in Makoto's personality, who at first is an insecure and naive girl who does not know how to deal well with the problems of the Inari Shrine. The fight that happens with her new friends is another step for her to evolve in her being. So, with the help and support of her friends and Gintaro to make her feel better, she evolves into a better person, acquiring the necessary responsibility to deal with her abilities and her new life, always accompanied by her friends.
However, when we finish watching, we see that the anime failed to clearly explain some issues, such as the whereabouts of Gintaro's former partner, the white fox named Kinjiro. This character is remembered a few times in the story, either by flashbacks or feelings that Gintaro expresses when Makoto asks about his old partner. The narrative only mentions that he left for another place, without explaining his current situation or if he still misses his former partner. This lack of explanation leaves a question mark, which could be resolved with more details or in a new season.
Moreover, Satoru's development could have been much more in-depth because, when we see his flashback with Haru, we see that he suffered a lot to get to where he is today, but he ended up not having a very worthy ending, just being a mere supporting character for Makoto. Satoru didn't need to be the “center of attention,” but he could have had a much more significant conclusion to the story.
The design of the human characters was kept in a simpler and more realistic manner, focusing a lot on the real-life aspect. The colors of these characters' clothes are usually very neutral, never trying to be anything extravagant or exaggerated, just trying to convey the vibe of being real. Because of this, the design of the heralds is pure fantasy, having much more detail to collaborate with the theme of the anime, giving them an air of being very different and unrealistic compared to the human characters.
This perception is very noticeable when Makoto stands next to Gintaro in some scenes. The heralds are also very different, and none are similar to each other, so when Gintaro is next to Haru, we see that they are also very unique and different. This is also important because of the personalities of the heralds, while Gintaro is more relaxed and lazy, Haru is more agitated and irritating, given that she would be 10 years old in human age, which is plausible considering her personality dependent on her mediator Satoru.
The representation of the settings is a good reflection of what the work tries to capture and explain to viewers, making this representation of settings with care for a good construction of the environment.
This representation is clear in the shrines and temples, which are full of details and very realistic, showing us a tradition and knowledge of how they work. This functionality is based on the ceremonies and customs that the young Makoto and her friends end up performing throughout the anime. The background landscapes of these shrines and temples are always something with very green forests, lively things, which perfectly highlights the nature of the place, while in the city it is more focused on urbanization, having many more cars and tall buildings.
However, I would say that “𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦” was very well done within the slice-of-life and fantasy genre, where it very well presented the shintoism theme, representing it in a broad way that makes viewers understand what is happening, serving well to generate a better understanding of how the customs and ceremonies work and are managed. But despite this, it failed to generate considerable development in other characters who deserved this development as well, and it still left some unexplained questions in the air, and it's not as if they were just “theorize this your way,” because they needed a better and more in-depth explanation. Such issues could be resolved in a new season, as I suggested a little above this text.
𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑳 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮: 𝟔.𝟖/𝟏𝟎
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» 𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗘̂𝗦 (𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗟):
A narrativa de "𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦" começa nos apresentando Makoto Saeki e Tatsuo Saeki (seu pai), que vivem em um Santuário Inari. A jovem Makoto recebeu um dom especial que lhe permite ver e interagir com os espíritos, chamados de arautos. Esse dom é passado de geração em geração, e a última pessoa a possuí-lo foi sua mãe.
No Santuário Inari, há um arauto da raposa chamado Gintaro, uma raposa grande, branca e muito preguiçosa, que parece ser fã número um de tangerinas! Gintaro só pode ser visto por outros arautos e pelos humanos que têm esse dom. Assim, o pai de Makoto não consegue vê-lo, pois não foi "abençoado" com essa habilidade. Os arautos atuam como emissários do Santuário Inari, sendo capazes de prever o futuro e localizar coisas perdidas, auxiliando na resolução de problemas.
Nos primeiros episódios, somos apresentados às particularidades das amizades, como a tentativa de vínculo entre Makoto e Gintaro. Mas como ela é muito nova, ainda tem muito a aprender e dominar com a ajuda dele. Mais tarde, Makoto ganha novas amigas, que acabam vivenciando um pequeno problema, mas logo elas voltam a ser amigas, se reconciliando do problema passado.
Na segunda metade é mais sobre o novo morador e agora amigo de Makoto, Satoru, e seu arauto Haru. Nessa segunda metade também testemunhamos a consolidação do vínculo entre Makoto e Gintaro, onde apesar dele ser rude com ela, ele ainda possui sentimentos e, pensando que Makoto pode morrer antes dele, sente a necessidade de instruí-la e aprender com sua mediadora. No mundo dos arautos, eles vivem por muito tempo e testemunham o nascimento e a morte de seus mediadores ao longo das eras, impotentes perante esse ciclo contínuo.
Ao decorrer da obra, vamos acompanhando a lenta mudança de personalidade em Makoto, que no começo é uma garota insegura e ingênua, que não sabe lidar muito bem com os problemas do Santuário Inari. A briga que acontece com suas novas amigas é mais um passo para que ela consiga evoluir em seu ser. Então com a ajuda e o apoio que seus amigos e Gintaro fazem para ela se sentir melhor, ela evolui como uma pessoa melhor, adquirindo a responsabilidade necessária para lidar com suas habilidades e sua nova vida, sempre acompanhada pelos seus amigos.
No entanto, quando terminamos de assistir, vemos que o anime não conseguiu explicar com clareza algumas questões, como o paradeiro do ex-parceiro de Gintaro, a raposa branca chamada Kinjiro. Esse personagem é lembrado algumas vezes na história, seja por flashbacks ou sentimentos que Gintaro expressa quando Makoto pergunta sobre seu antigo parceiro para ele. A narrativa apenas menciona que ele foi embora para outro lugar, sem explicar sua situação atual ou se ele ainda sente falta do seu ex-parceiro. Essa falta de explicação deixa uma dúvida no ar, que poderia ser resolvida com mais detalhes ou em uma nova temporada.
Além do mais, o desenvolvimento de Satoru poderia ter sido muito mais aprofundado, pois, quando vemos o seu flashback junto de Haru, vemos que ele sofreu muito para chegar no que é hoje, mas acabou não tendo um final tão digno de ser, apenas sendo um mero coadjuvante de Makoto. Satoru não precisava ser o “centro das atenções”, mas poderia ter um desfecho muito mais significativo para a história.
O design dos personagens humanos foi mantido de uma forma mais simplista e realista, focando muito no quesito da vida real. As cores das roupas desses personagens são geralmente muito neutras, nunca buscando ser nada extravagante ou exagerado, apenas tentando passar a vibe de serem reais. Em virtude disso, o design dos arautos é buscado a pura fantasia, tendo muito mais detalhes para a colaboração com o tema do anime, dando-os um ar de serem muito diferentes e irrealistas que os personagens humanos.
Essa percepção fica muito destacavel quando Makoto fica ao lado de Gintaro em alguma cena. Os arautos também são bem diferentes, e nenhum é parecido com o outro, então quando Gintaro está ao lado de Haru, vemos que eles também são bem únicos e diferentes. Isso também é importante por conta das personalidade dos arautos, enquanto Gintaro é mais relaxado e preguiçoso, Haru é mais agitada e irritante, dado que ela teria 10 anos em idade humana, o que é plausível considerando sua personalidade dependente do seu mediador Satoru.
A representação dos cenários é um bom reflexo do que a obra tenta captar e explicar aos espectadores, tornando essa representação de cenários com cuidado para uma boa construção do ambiente.
Essa representação é nítida nos santuários e templos, que são cheios de detalhes e muito realistas, mostrando-nos uma tradição e conhecimento de como eles funcionam. Essa funcionalidade é baseada nas cerimônias e costumes que a jovem Makoto e seus amigos acabam fazendo no decorrer do anime. As paisagens do cenário ao fundo desses santuários e templos sempre é algo com florestas bem verdes, coisas vividas, o que realça perfeitamente a natureza do local, enquanto na cidade é mais focado na urbanização, tendo muito mais carros e prédios altos.
Contudo eu diria que “𝘎𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦” foi muito bem feito dentro do gênero slice-of-life e fantasia, onde apresentou muito bem o tema xintoísta o representando de uma maneira ampla que faz os telespectadores entenderem o que está ocorrendo, servindo bastante para gerar um melhor conhecimento de como os os costumes e cerimônias funcionam e são geridos. Mas apesar disso, ele não conseguiu gerar um desenvolvimento considerável em outros personagens que mereciam esse desenvolvimento também, e ele ainda deixou algumas questões não esclarecidas no ar, e não é como se elas fossem apenas “teorize isso da sua maneira”, pois elas necessitavam de uma explicação melhor e mais aprofundadas. Tais questões poderiam ser resolvidas em uma nova temporada, como eu bem sugeri em um pouco acima desse texto.
𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑨 𝑭𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑳: 𝟔.𝟖/𝟏𝟎
